Who Is God?

A spiritual mentor challenged me to answer the question:Who is God? The answer is as vast as our God is. I don't believe that any man can know the full extent of who God is because we are finite and limited, but our God is infinite. I truly believe that the only way that any man can know the full extent of who He is would be by His divine revelation and I'm not sure that we could handle it as we are in our limited capacity. My mentor stated well that it could take me a month to explain and as I considered the question, I began to wonder in what context he asked the question. Was the answer to be an explanation of who God is to me? Or was it intended that I should demonstrate that I could explain scripturally to someone who didn't know who He is? My response is therefore a combination of both.

Throughout the centuries that man has existed the question has always existed as well. Those who truly desire to know God, and who He is look to the Bible for answers. It was inspired by God Himself and gives account of His word to man. From it, we learn what He has said about Himself, about us, and how He has responded to man in various situations. From it we begin to learn about His personality- His likes and dislikes, what gives Him pleasure and what stirs His wrath. What we can know of God comes from His Word, and from His Holy Spirit bearing witness within us of who He is.

For myself, my understanding of who He is has been derived from both Rhema (revelation of the Word by the Holy Spirit) and Logos (the Living Word of our Lord itself). The things that He's imparted to my heart in intimate knowledge of who He is are precious and deeply personal to me. The Holy Spirit is the precious and wonderful interpreter of His word to my heart and my gratitude to Him for the presence of His Spirit runs deeper than I can express. Without the intercession and interpretation of the Holy Spirit, the Word would be lifeless within me and I would struggle to understand in sincerity even the basic true nature of our Lord.

In brief personal description, God is the all powerful and incomparable Spirit that reigns above all that exists. He is the creator of all that I know and the ever patient Father seeking to guide His children in ways that lead to life and who patiently but firmly corrects their paths and their hearts toward Him. He has a purpose in this life that He has given us. He created us and all that we know for a purpose. It was His purpose that we would have fellowship or relationship with Him and share His love. Those that do not choose to fulfill that purpose, He will not have a use for. They will have betrayed the reason for which they were created and will have made their own lives worthless. But the choice to fulfill or not is given to them by Him. I praise Him for the loving mercy that has allowed me to see that I have a divine purpose which has become the joy of my life.

To have relationship with the Master, to know Him, is the greatest reward and blessing that men could ever seek. His knowing patience with me in the times that I have lashed out at Him in my puny anger and frustration have left a permanent mark on my heart and my life that make me know with conviction that the depth of His love and His patience is far greater than I or any man are capable of. I am convicted by his heart and His patience for me that He will indeed not forsake me even when I fail Him. The depth of His love is shown in great measure in that He is willing to correct me and teach me the truth through painful lessons that give me life even when my tears grieve His own heart. He is the faithful Father whose love bears strength to suffer with me through the moments of my pain to give me life that I could know by no other means. Through the painful lessons I am changed to have life in greater abundance. I am profited by the lessons of my Father for eternity. His teaching and correction are the effort of my eternal parent to save my life eternal. He is my provider, my protection and avenger. He is the lover of my heart like no other and the greatest love of my own. His presence satisfies the need that cannot be met by any other means. His living water alone quenches the unquenchable thirst. His effort and sacrifices on our behalf, far surpass anything we could ever imagine to do for Him in return.

In order to explain all that we know about God, I would necessarily have to recite His Word from cover to cover. His word is given that we might know who He is and have the life with Him that He intended. Even including the knowledge of God contained in the whole of scripture would likely not encompass the whole of who God is. But what we can know is given in His Word for all who care to know Him and His spirit gives life to it in our hearts and minds so that we can have relationship with Him.

It's a tragedy and terrible injustice that some worldly minds have attributed man's existence to nature and thereby given God's credit for creation to nature as if it were capable of creating such fragile, perfect order and complexity. In this case they give nature the attributes of God and essentially worship nature. But nature is merely a symptom or a creation of the source and not the origin of the power to create or even maintain what is. But the Lord our God has given us the knowledge of the truth from the beginning. The truth of everything was given by God before we even existed and it remains unchanged forever. Man in his insolence and wickedness has often sought to defy the truth and it's consequences as if by creating some other "truth" he could escape the responsibilities and future that God has ordained. The deceiver, the enemy of God and our souls has supported this unholy attitude and cursed endeavor in an effort to destroy what God has created and thereby deny God the fulfillment of His purpose in their lives.

Genesis 1 explains God's creation of the earth and all that we know including man. The entirety of the Bible was given in explanation of His purpose in creating these things and who God is. We were not created by some happenstance, nor is our continued existence without purpose. The heavens and the earth are not kept in the perfect balance that allows continued life by some form of amazing chance or unbelievable luck. but by God's divine purpose. Evidence of His hand is in His creation is all around us. Romans 1:19-20 tells us that "For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God has made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God".

So, what do these things tell us about God? If we examine the scriptures referenced and included above, we already know many things. To begin with, by reading Genesis 1, we know that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He breathed life into every living thing and therefore, our God, He is the Creator and the giver of life. He is divine and His power is eternal.

Romans 1: 19-20 tells us essentially, that He wanted us to know the truth. So He put the knowledge of Himself in our hearts, and He made Himself evident around us in the environment He gave us to live in. It is never His intention or desire that we be mislead or deceived (though He does give us that choice). Our God, He is the author of truth.

So, these things being true, why don't all men worship God? Romans 1:21-32 continues to explain the truth: "Yes they knew God, but they wouldn't worship Him as God or even give thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people, or birds and animals and snakes". (to that we could add trees, "mother nature", stone henge, the sun, even themselves in the height of their insolence and self proclaimed "wisdom")

So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result they did vile and degrading things with each others bodies. Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things that God made but not the Creator Himself, who is to be praised for ever. Amen

That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved.

When they refused to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet the go right ahead and do them anyway. And worse yet, they encourage others to do them too."

As you consider Romans 1:21-32, the things that He despises are evident and give us further insight into who He is because He is the opposite of that which He despises. He is righteous, kind, life giving, selfless and lover the truth. He is Holy, and a keeper of His promises. He is full of love and compassion, and is forgiving of those who seek forgiveness and He is patient.

But no one should ever make the mistake of thinking that God is only these things. Deuteronomy 10:17 tells us "The Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. He is the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and takes no bribes. He gives justice to the orphans and widows. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing." Our God, He is just and the defender and provider to the weak and vulnerable.

The Lord tells us further about Himself and His power in His response to Job in the book of Job. God's own words in response to Job in Job chapters 38-41 reveal a great deal about the responsibilities that God assumes on our behalf to give us continued life on this earth as we know it (most of which we take for granted and rarely give thought to). I'm including only a part of this scripture, 38:4-21 because it serves the purpose of describing some of the powerful and awesome acts of our God and the responsibilities that He continues to maintain in creation -

(this is God talking to Job)

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you know so much. Do you know how it's dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports it's foundations, and who laid the cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Who defined the boundaries of the sea as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting it's shores. I said 'thus far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!' "

"Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the nights wickedness? For the features of the earth take shape as the light approaches and the dawn is robed in red. The light disturbs the haunt of the wicked, and it stops the arm that is raised in violence."

"Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you walked about and explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me if you know!"

"Where does the light come from, and to where does the darkness go? Can you take it to it's home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all of this! For you were born before it was created, and you are so very experienced!"

The Lord our God is the force that created all that we know and He alone maintains our existence in the universe. He alone is the giver of life and the unseen force that both blesses and challenges the hearts and lives of men. He is all powerful and all knowing, the author of goodness and righteousness. He alone stands unable to be unchallenged in the universe, but challenges all who oppose Him. His word is the only truth and it existed before the creation of men. He is the source of true eternal wisdom. The wisdom of men will perish with the world, but His wisdom will still remain. Men may seek to find their own wisdom in their stubbornness, but are often shamed by it and in the end their worldly wisdom will perish with them, but the Holy wisdom of our God will remain forever. Our God existed before the world and He laid the foundations of the earth. He alone controls the seas, the light and darkness. He knows where these things come from and where they go because He brought them into existence and He continues to maintain them.

Jesus told us in John 4:24 that "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in truth."

1 John 4:16 "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him."

Matthew 6:9 (God is) "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Of all of my lengthy discourse here, I must truthfully say that it is merely an introduction, a descriptive fragment, given in an effort to to explain the indescribable great God of the ages. Who is God? The answer would be as endless as He is and is only available to us by His revelation. To know who God is, requires an endless search by us in relationship with Him. A relationship in which He takes great pleasure and one in which the reward is life and understanding far beyond the limits of our flesh.